May 2018

From the Minister’s Desk

This
month’s article has been kindly written by Peter Charlton.

A
group from Royton Methodist Church took a trip to Wesley’s Chapel in London
during Lent. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, orchestrated the building
of the chapel in 1778. Although we were unsure of what to expect, the trip
turned out to be very encouraging. Here are a few of the highlights.

Firstly,
we were given a tour of the chapel itself. It was the first Methodist church to
be built specifically for the celebration of Holy Communion as well as for
preaching services. These were both strong elements of Wesley’s faith. In his
sermon on the means of grace, Wesley preached that “All who desire an increase
of the grace of God are to wait for it in partaking the Lord’s Supper”.
Preaching was not only confined to the chapel, but John Wesley spent his life
travelling the country, preaching wherever he could find people to listen. The
chapel follows in Wesley’s footsteps today, remaining an active church with a
thriving, international congregation.

Secondly,
we were given a tour of Wesley’s House, next to the chapel, where Wesley lived
for the last eleven years of his life. Of course, the house is historically
interesting – for instance, it was arduous to wash clothes, and they didn’t
have irons, so after a day on the road one would brush the dirt off one’s
clothes, and lay them flat in a drawer to avoid too many creases. However, we
were most encouraged by a small room adjoining Wesley’s bedroom, where he would
pray and read the Bible early each morning. Wesley placed utmost importance on
prayer and scripture, writing that “serious and earnest prayer should be
constantly used before we consult [the Bible]; seeing that ‘Scripture can only
be understood through the same Spirit whereby it was given’” (Preface to
Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament). We were left challenged to follow
Wesley’s commitment to spending time with God.

Finally,
whilst visiting the Museum of Methodism, in the crypt of the chapel, we were
told more stories of Wesley’s life. We were encouraged all the more when
hearing about the pamphlets which were written and distributed to tell the good
news of Jesus; hearing how Wesley raised money through his university work, and
continuously passed on great sums to be used to serve the poor; and hearing of
Wesley’s heart-warming experience when he was assured that God had taken away
his sins. It was testament that the God who raised Jesus from the dead also
worked in Wesley’s life 1700 years later.

We
left the chapel with quiet determination to persevere in faith, reassured of
God’s calling on our lives both as individuals and a church.